Heinkel Tourist That was then...

‘Heil Heinkel’ is an unusual verdict for a road test written only 14 years after the Second World War, yet that’s exactly the conclusion Motorcycling with Scooter Weekly came to when testing the Heinkel Tourist.

This German ‘Tourist’ is so very different. There can be little doubt that the Heinkel Tourist is ‘different’. The only scooter in the 175cc engine capacity size with a fourstroke motor could not be otherwise and the first question which comes to mind is: “Well, what are the advantages of a motor which is slightly more complicated than the familiar two-stroke?”

The answer is many sided; for example; oil-less petrol is used; high speeds can be held for extended periods; engine overhauls are likely to be fewer in number and there is a deep throb about the exhaust note which many riders find less tiring.

For such items, one pays extra money and becomes the owner of an engine which has more parts than is usual in a scooter. The ultimate answer to the “Which is the type for me” query lies in the counter question “For what will you use the machine?” The Heinkel is named Tourist and that sums things up pretty well.

First impressions

Looking at the Heinkel, one gets an immediate impression of solidarity, and in this case first impressions are correct, for the machine is stoutly constructed (which is reflected in the weight with empty tanks of 330lb) and very well finished. The paintwork is of good quality, chromium plating has been kept to the absolute minimum and the footboard is of non-corrosive aluminium.

But these impressions of massiveness are lost immediately one sits in the saddle and takes an exploratory grip of the bars. The feeling is now of confidence, inspired by the convenient layout of the controls, the crisp click-click of the left twist-grip gear-change and the wrap-round sides of the frontal apron. Machines on which the rider is at home immediately upon sitting on them are not all that common. Heil Heinkel!

The stand – and starting

Mounted firmly on the two widely spaced legs of its centre stand, the Tourist is most unlikely to be blown over by anything other than a strength 8 gale. Setting it upon or removing it from this firm support entails no more than locating the stand with the foot and tugging or pushing gently on the handlebars. No untoward gymnastics follow for the major weight is low down and the saddle height of 28½in means that feet can be placed squarely on the ground. In the side of the engine enclosure is a hinged panel, behind which lurks the fuel-tap – easy to reach – and with the operation of the ignition key of the 12v starter system the engine fires at once. Although no ‘emergency’ arose during our test, it was found fairly simple to get the motor running by trotting alongside and releasing the clutch with the gears in second as the rider jumped aboard.

The engine

No choke is fitted to the Tourist. This means that in cold weather, opening the throttle from tickover produces a certain amount of partial cutting out, which vanishes as the unit warms up. From this point on, the motor performs in heroic fashion, acceleration from rest being astonishingly good. Although turning over quite slowly at any given road speed, the motor can be left in top gear down to low speeds and the same applies when hills are climbed. For extra acceleration, the rider can change down to third gear, but generally it is very much a ‘put it in top and forget about it’ sort of scooter. The engine itself was mechanically quiet and so, too, was the exhaust note, not surprising when one studies the size of the silencer.

Gearbox

As has already been mentioned, the Tourist has the twist-grip type of control to its four-speed gearbox, and this is a nicely made piece of mechanism which does not have an outrageously long travel. Neutral was always easy to find and although, initially, the selection of gears was not at all simple, adjustment of the cables quickly put things right.

The gears were not altogether quiet, for when running downhill with the throttle closed, second and third produced a subdued whine, but only the hypercritical would remark upon it. Upward changes were smooth and neat, but changing down usually produced a ‘clonk’, a curiously common feature of most German gearboxes. When motoring in enthusiastic manner and ‘winding things up’ in each gear, the changes could be made very smartly indeed, although until one became fully conversant with the machine it was quite possible to miss a gear with somewhat audible results!

Performance

Throughout our test, the large windscreen shown in one of the photographs was fitted, and this undoubtedly had an effect on the top speed. On a perfectly flat road with no helping wind, the Tourist lolloped along at 53mph (with its speedometer reading 58!) and seemed prepared to hold that rate ad infinitum. The slightest downgrade caused the speed to rise to well over 60mph and it is probable that removal of the screen would have made the ‘straight and level’ figure much nearer the magic mile a minute.

The petrol consumption stayed at a reasonable 100mpg which, considering the fact that the machine was used mainly on urgent press duties and ridden flat out when possible, is good. More genteel use would produce a figure nearer 120mpg.

He who rides fast has need of good brakes. The 5½in brakes of the Tourist were safe and sure when used together, with no sudden bite or other unwelcome tricks. Used separately, they were, rather strangely, only moderate. Suffice it to say that, if danger looms, the Heinkel rider can stop in a short space with little fear of skidding or instability.

Comfort and steering

Having paid nearly £240 for a scooter, the customer naturally feels that it should be comfortable to ride, have good weather protection and safe steering characteristics. By this yardstick, the Tourist is worth the money. Road bumps which would make a lighter machine bob about are swallowed up by the Heinkel and the rider soon loses that subconscious tendency to grip the handlebars tighter when spotting a raised manhole cover in the roadway ahead! The nose does not dip under braking either and, with two people aboard, the machine seems more comfortable still. Front suspension is by swinging fork, with twin hydraulic dampers, while that at the rear consists of an arm, which doubles as the rear chain case and is controlled by a single damper.

Low-speed steering was slightly heavy, very slightly until the rider became used to it and thereafter it was very much a case of merely thinking about the desired direction and the Heinkel went there; again a case of feeling confident due to the machine’s basic design. On very slow corners, the weight of the machine was noticed a bit, but the trick was to keep the motor pulling and to change down early.

Rain could reach the rider’s arms past the sides of the screen but the feet and knees were well protected and the fingers, reasonably gloved, stayed warm. The greentinted sun visor on the top of the screen was a blessing at times, but a nuisance on a long run, when a crick in the neck developed due to the head having to be kept in one position all the time, especially when the screen was spattered by the wheel-flung mud of other traffic. Luggage space consists of a large carrier, mounted rather far back on top of the spare wheel, a parcels grid on the front, some spare space in the toolbox and a briefcase clip inside the apron. Fitting panniers would not be too difficult, although no attachment points are provided.

The electrics

From the very fact that a fusebox is provided in the circuits (it is located on the back of the metal apron) it can be appreciated that German thoroughness has found its way into the Heinkel’s wiring. The horn was really good and it was noted, audible even from the seat of a farm tractor that was towing a steel-wheeled implement behind it. The headlight gave a clear, bright beam with plenty of side-spread, making 50mph a safe speed in the dark, although when dipped the top half of the beam was very sharply eliminated, a feature obviously appreciated by approaching traffic but not entirely popular with the rider. The wiring appeared to be of good quality, with sound connections, giving little chance of mysterious and aggravating faults on dark and rainy nights.

Maintenance

The wheels are interchangeable and the procedure for removal is to lay the machine on its side, disconnect the brake cables and undo four bolts on each wheel. At the front, the spindle must be removed as well.

With the rear cowling removed, engine accessibility was found to be good. The removal of four bolts plus an oil pipe union allowed the valve mechanism to be removed for clearance adjustments but the instruction book provided ignores this part of the work completely. Strangely it includes a chapter on how to store the machine.

The twin batteries are set well clear of the other components and the contact breaker is simple to reach and adjust. The ‘endless’ rear chain runs in its oil bath and requires no attention. With the cowling in position, it proved very difficult to dismantle the carburettor, the quickest method being to remove the instrument body.

The time required to remove the engine enclosure must be criticised because the spare-wheel cover hides the main mounting bolt and must be removed before a spanner can be got in position. Two retaining clips, the carburettor air-cleaner and the connections to the rear light wires must also be dealt with before the unveiling.

But such exploratory work should seldom be required with the Tourist. During our test the licence disc fell off ‘somewhere in Kent’ and that was the only incident recorded.